The Sam and Henry Story

Sam and Henry

Samantha Marais and Henry Dingle were two independent, solo singer-songwriters. Sam was signed to underground folk label, Butterfly Records, based in London, who released her debut album, ‘The Peppermint Conspiracy’ (2007), to widespread acclaim. She racked up over half a million myspace hits in the wake of this critical response and has since produced her own limited edition album, ‘At My Door’ (2010), recorded in a friend’s home studio. She moved to Bristol in the Autumn of 2009 and set up the Coexist Music Collective in the city’s most vibrant and happening cultural quarter, Stoke’s Croft.

Henry meanwhile recorded debut solo album, ‘the boy who never learned’ with producer Paul Scott (Pi Music) in 2010. A love of un-amplified acoustic performance – and a measure of studio cabin fever – lead him to 2009′s Summer ‘Freedom Tour’ of the UK where he travelled by campervan from Devon to Dunkeld and back again playing over 30 impromptu solo gigs in pubs recommended by word-of-mouth along the way. The following year he too gave up London for Bristol and immersed himself in the collective and Stoke’s Croft’s buzzing, local scene.

Performing as ‘Sam and Henry’, they play each others’ songs, with Sam’s twinkling, treble-tuned guitar lending delicate femininity to Henry’s more bass-lead, rhythmic strum. Their harmonising voices recall the surprisingly rare male/female collaborations by the likes of Gram Parsons and Emmy-Lou Harris with the added down-to-earth charm of homely acts like The Carter Family.

‘Apes Cohen-esque storytelling in the best possible way’ – Venue Magazine